With the NBA Cup in the rearview mirror, the next scheduling quirk for fantasy managers to navigate is Christmas Day. Not only are there the five games on Thursday for managers to worry about, but there’s also how the lack of games on Christmas Eve affects the week. Twenty-eight of the league’s 30 teams will be in action on Tuesday, and nine-game slates on Friday and Saturday follow Christmas Day.
The good news is that there aren’t any matinee tip times on Boxing Day, so fantasy managers won’t have to worry about missing the random afternoon tip time. Let’s look at the Week 10 schedule breakdown and some key storylines.
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Week 10 Games Played
4 Games: CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, IND, MEM, NOR, OKC, ORL, POR, UTA
3 Games: ATL, BOS, CHA, CHI, GSW, HOU, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIL, MIN, NYK, PHI, PHX, SAC, SAS, TOR, WAS
2 Games: BKN
Week 10 Back-to-backs
Sunday (Week 9)-Monday: None
Monday-Tuesday: CHA, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, IND, MEM, OKC, ORL, POR, UTA
Tuesday-Wednesday: None
Wednesday-Thursday: None
Thursday-Friday: None
Friday-Saturday: ATL, CHI, IND, MIA, MIL, NOR, ORL, PHO
Saturday-Sunday: SAC
Sunday-Monday (Week 11): GSW, OKC, POR, TOR, WAS
Week 10 Storylines of Note
– Avoid the Nets at all costs during Week 10.
The Nets are the lone team scheduled to play twice in Week 10, and they’ll be active on the busiest days of the week. Michael Porter Jr. will remain valuable given his production, and an argument can also be made for Nic Claxton. However, Noah Clowney may be a player fantasy managers can afford to move on from if they find a more active option on the waiver wire. Also, the Nets’ matchups won’t be easy, as they visit the 76ers on Tuesday and the Timberwolves on Saturday.
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– Indiana, Oklahoma City, Orlando and Utah are among the teams with two back-to-backs to navigate.
The back-to-backs may not be a significant issue for the fantasy-relevant Pacers or Thunder, except for Isaiah Hartenstein. He sat out Thursday’s win over the Clippers, which was the first game of a back-to-back. However, Jalen Williams played both games, a positive development for fantasy managers who waited patiently for him to make his season debut last month. While both of Indiana’s back-to-backs will be played entirely during Week 10, Oklahoma City’s second is of the Sunday/Monday variety.
Orlando and Utah are more concerning for fantasy managers. Jalen Suggs has been out with a hip injury, and he was not playing both games of back-to-backs before that issue came to light. His recent absences have raised Anthony Black‘s fantasy ceiling, especially with Franz Wagner sidelined by a high ankle sprain. As for Utah, they’ve already begun to sit players, with Jusuf Nurkić and Lauri Markkanen missing a game this week. Instead of waiting until closer to the start of the “silly season,” now may be the time to hop onto the Kyle Filipowski bandwagon.
– Wednesday and Thursday are the light game days.
As is usually the case, there are no games on Christmas Eve after 28 of the league’s 30 teams play on Tuesday. The Christmas Day slate consists of five games, starting with Cavaliers/Knicks and concluding with Timberwolves/Nuggets. Thursday is the day to target potential streamers, with Golden State and Oklahoma City being the teams playing on Christmas Day that will also be active on the final day of Week 10. Even with the Thunder edging closer to full strength, that could make low-rostered players like Cason Wallace and Ajay Wallace more valuable to managers needing a scoring boost to end Week 10. As for Golden State, their rotation has been challenging to figure out beyond the Warriors’ proven options.
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– Which Lakers stars will (or won’t) be available to begin Week 10?
Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura all sat out Saturday’s loss to the Clippers, and Luka Dončić did not return for the second half after suffering a leg contusion during the second quarter. The Lakers play three games in Week 10, starting with a return trip to Phoenix on Tuesday. There’s hope that Dončić, Reaves and Ayton will be available, while the Christmas Day matchup with Houston may be a more realistic target for Hachimura. The good news, schedule-wise, is that the Lakers won’t have to navigate a back-to-back during Week 10, and they’ll have two days between the Christmas Day game and their matchup with the Kings to end the week. If Dončić, Reaves and Ayton are available on Tuesday, fantasy managers may be able to get a full week out of each.
– The Hornets have the worst schedule to end Week 10.
Only one team has no game scheduled for either Saturday or Sunday in Week 10, and that’s Charlotte. After opening the week with an away/home back-to-back against the Cavaliers and Wizards, the Hornets play their third and final game on Friday in Orlando. Given the injury woes of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, it would not be shocking if Week 10 were a two-game week for either of them. Ball has not played both games of a back-to-back since Charlotte’s second and third games of the season, while Miller played both games of a November 28-29 back-to-back against the Bulls and Raptors. Players like Kon Knueppel and Miles Bridges are more valuable due to Ball and Miller’s injury histories. Still, the front-loaded Week 10 schedule doesn’t do them or fantasy managers any favors.
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– How many games will fantasy managers get out of Zion Williamson?
The Pelicans will play two back-to-backs during Week 10. First, there’s the home/away back-to-back against the Mavericks and Cavaliers on Monday and Tuesday. Then, there are home games against the Suns on Friday and Saturday. It’s conceivable that Williamson, who has yet to play both games of a back-to-back this season, is only available for two games at the most. Saddiq Bey has remained in the starting lineup due to Williamson coming off the bench, and he’ll be worth holding onto, at least through the end of Week 10. Atlanta’s Trae Young could also be looking at a two-game week, as the Hawks conclude their three-game week with a Friday/Saturday back-to-back.
